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US-12625135-B2 - System, apparatus, and method for viral monitoring in effluent

US12625135B2US 12625135 B2US12625135 B2US 12625135B2US-12625135-B2

Abstract

A system for viral monitoring in effluent includes at least one graphene-based field-effect transistor and circuitry, wherein the circuitry is configured to repeatedly monitor and determine presence of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID virus) in the effluent. The circuitry is configured to apply a gate voltage and measure a conductance across each of the at least one graphene-based field-effect transistor, compare the measured conductance across each of the at least one graphene-based field-effect transistor to a threshold conductance, and determine whether levels of the COVID virus exceed a predetermined threshold in the effluent. If levels of the COVID virus exceed the predetermined threshold in the effluent, the circuitry is configured to remove at least a portion of the bound COVID virus from the proteins of the at least one graphene-based field-effect transistor.

Inventors

  • Morton M. Mower

Assignees

  • Morton M. Mower

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20211201

Claims (14)

  1. 1 . A system for viral monitoring in sewage wastewater in a sewage collection or treatment system, comprising: a single sensor having a plurality of graphene field-effect transistors configured to bind SARS-COV-2; and circuitry configured to repeatedly monitor and determine presence of SARS-COV-2 in the sewage wastewater, wherein the circuitry is configured to apply a gate voltage to each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors, measure a conductance across each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors, a value of the conductance being based on an amount of the SARS-COV-2 bound to the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors, compare the measured conductance across each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors to respective threshold conductances, the threshold conductances being different for each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors, determine whether levels of the SARS-COV-2 in the sewage wastewater exceed a predetermined threshold based upon whether the measured conductance for each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors exceeds the threshold conductance, and determine whether a predetermined number of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors have the measured conductance satisfying the threshold conductance.
  2. 2 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors comprises one or more proteins configured to bind the SARS-COV-2 in the sewage wastewater.
  3. 3 . The system according to claim 2 , wherein the one or more proteins are SARS-COV-2 spike antibodies.
  4. 4 . The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a channel arranged above the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors to cause fluid of the sewage wastewater to flow over the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors via the channel.
  5. 5 . An apparatus for viral monitoring in sewage wastewater in a sewage collection or treatment system, comprising: a housing; a single sensor having a plurality of graphene field-effect transistors configured to bind SARS-COV-2; and circuitry configured to repeatedly monitor and determine presence of SARS-COV-2 in the sewage wastewater, wherein the single sensor and the circuitry are mounted in the housing, and the circuitry is configured to apply a gate voltage to each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors, measure a conductance across each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors, a value of the conductance being based on an amount of the SARS-COV-2 bound to the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors, compare the measured conductance across each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors to respective threshold conductances, the threshold conductances being different for each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors, determine whether levels of the SARS-COV-2 in the sewage wastewater exceed a predetermined threshold based upon whether the measured conductance for each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors exceeds the threshold conductance, and determine whether a predetermined number of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors have the measured conductance satisfying the threshold conductance.
  6. 6 . The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors comprises one or more proteins configured to bind the SARS-COV-2 in the sewage wastewater.
  7. 7 . The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the one or more proteins are SARS-COV-2 spike antibodies.
  8. 8 . A method for viral monitoring in sewage wastewater in a sewage collection or treatment system, comprising: repeatedly monitoring, by circuitry and a single sensor comprising a plurality of graphene field-effect transistors configured to bind a virus; measuring, by the circuitry, a conductance across each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors, a value of the conductance being based on an amount of the virus bound to the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors; comparing, by the circuitry, the measured conductance across each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors to respective threshold conductances the threshold conductances being different for each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors; determining whether a predetermined number of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors have the measured conductance satisfying the threshold conductance; and determining, by the circuitry, presence of SARS-COV-2 in the sewage wastewater, wherein each of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors comprises one or more proteins configured to bind the SARS-COV-2 in the sewage wastewater.
  9. 9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the threshold conductance for one of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors located at an upstream position in the sewage collection or treatment system is larger than the threshold conductance for another one of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors located at a downstream position in the sewage collection or treatment system.
  10. 10 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the determining comprises determining whether a majority of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors satisfy the threshold conductance.
  11. 11 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the threshold conductance for one of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors located at an upstream position in the system is larger than the threshold conductance for another one of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors located at a downstream position in the system.
  12. 12 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine whether a majority of the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors satisfy the threshold conductance.
  13. 13 . The system according to claim 4 , comprising a pump fluidly connected to a buffer fluid reservoir and to the channel, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the pump to supply the buffer fluid to the channel to remove the SARS-COV-2 bound to the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors.
  14. 14 . The system according to claim 13 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to continue to supply the buffer fluid until the conductance of each the plurality of graphene field-effect transistors is below a second predetermined threshold.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is a continuation Application of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/070,308, filed Oct. 14, 2020, the entire content of each of these applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes. BACKGROUND Field of the Disclosure The present disclosure relates to continuous monitoring of fluid bodies for detecting hazardous viral loads in the environment. Description of the Related Art Rapid and accurate identification and characterization of a potential pathogen is crucial for disease control and the prevention of epidemics stemming from emerging infectious diseases. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a newly emerged human infectious disease associated with severe respiratory distress. In December 2019, a series of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause were reported in Wuhan in the Hubei province of China. Later, the 2019 novel coronavirus was identified from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of a patient and it was subsequently renamed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. As human-to-human transmission rapidly increased, the World Health Organization classified the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic on Mar. 12, 2020. Coronaviruses (CoVs), and SARS-CoV-2, in particular, cause mild to moderate upper respiratory tract illnesses in both humans and animals. Because no specific drugs or vaccines are yet available for COVID-19, the development of highly sensitive and rapid biosensing devices has become increasingly important for early diagnosis, management of potential contacts, and containment of outbreaks. Both viable SARS-CoV-2 and viral RNA are shed in bodily excreta, including saliva, sputum, and feces, which are subsequently disposed of in wastewater. Although it is believed that the major transmission route of this virus is inhalation via person-to-person aerosol/droplet transmission and fomite to hand contamination, currently available evidence indicates the need for better understanding of the role of wastewater as a potential source of epidemiological data and as a factor in public health risks. In fact, recent findings suggest the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater provides an opportunity to use wastewater as a surveillance tool for the invasion, prevalence, molecular epidemiology, and potential eradication of the virus in a community. Surveillance of wastewater, however, has often focused on the implementation of bench-top testing devices and intricate biological assays requiring removal of a wastewater sample from effluent and transport of the sample to a testing facility. Moreover, these available testing methods there are expensive, time-consuming, and require specialized personnel. Thus, a need exist for solutions to wastewater surveillance that provide continuous monitoring in the field and eliminate the need to obtain samples in what may be an overly burdensome and expensive manner. A process that can be further applicable to a range of infectious agents is desirable. The foregoing “Background” description is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present invention. SUMMARY The present disclosure relates to monitoring of viral loads in effluent. According to an embodiment, the present disclosure further relates to a system for viral monitoring in effluent, comprising a biosensor including at least one field-effect transistor along a length of an apparatus, the at least one field-effect transistor having one or more capture proteins conjugated thereto, the one or more capture proteins being configured to bind a virus in the effluent, and a fluidic channel arranged above the at least one field-effect transistor and along the length of the apparatus such that fluid of the effluent flows over the at least one field-effect transistor via the fluidic channel, and processing circuitry configured to apply a gate voltage to each of the at least one field-effect transistor, measure a conductance across each of the at least one field-effect transistor, a change in the conductance being based on an amount of the virus bound to the one or more capture proteins, compare the measured conductance across each of the at least one field-effect transistor to a threshold conductance, and transmit, to a computing device and when the comparison indicates the measured conductance across each of the at least one field-effect transistor satisfies the threshold conductance, information indicating a presence of the virus in the effluent, wherein the at least one field-effect transistor is a graphene-based field-effect transistor and the one or more capture proteins are SARS-CoV-2